Put the cilantro, chilies, and garlic in the food processor
and give it a whirl.Add the pepitas and
cotija and whirl it again.Last, add the
mayo, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.Finish the blending.Store in the
refrigerator in a sealed container.

For the salad, use romaine and cut into bite size
pieces.Chill the lettuce until ready to
make the salad.To make the salad, put
the lettuce in a bowl.Sprinkle in some
pepitas and cotija and crumble in some corn chips.Put the dressing on and toss.

My notes:I always
make the dressing just as it says here. Once I put in extra cheese because I love it
so much, and that made the dressing too dry.It’s perfect just the way it is.The brand of cheese that I buy is Cacique.I get the pepitas at Trader Joes.

When you go to the store to get the chilies, you will see
that there are a million different kinds of chilies.The chilies are anaheim chilies sometimes
called green chilies.They are a lighter
green than a green bell pepper and they are kind of long and skinny (like 6 to
8 inches long).They are considered
mild, but don’t lick your fingers or touch your eye while cutting.

My sister Carolyn makes this dressing in a blender and it
turns out fine.I think it’s a bit
smoother in the food processor, but don’t skip making it just because you don’t
have one.If you do use a blender, it
might be better to chop everything a little finer.

It’s a beautiful salad at Christmas time if you can get the
red corn chips.I can only find them
around Christmas.

Last thing:I’ve only
made a single batch of this dressing once.Everybody likes it so much that I make a double batch every time.And if you make a double batch, buy two
packages of cotija!!